Stretch of I-670 near Downtown prone to crashes

Monday

May 30, 2011 at 12:01 AMMay 31, 2011 at 12:08 AM

Since 2008, there have been 427 crashes on I-670 between Neil Avenue and 4th Street. Of those, 143 ended in injury; none was fatal. This year, there have been 14 crashes. That part of the highway is an area the Ohio Department of Transportation is monitoring because of the crash rate over the past few years. Several improvements are being made, including adding reflective markings on the barrier wall, making pavement corrections as drivers approach the bridge, painting pavement lines and adding pavement reflectors.

Whenever it rains, Bob Larrimer waits for the crashing sound.

His office overlooks I-670, and it seems that the wet weather leads to more vehicle crashes between Neil Avenue and 4th Street.

"It is a literal accident machine when the pavement is wet," he wrote in an email to The Watch.

Since 2008, there have been 427 crashes on that stretch of I-670, the state Department of Public Safety says. Of those, 143 ended in injury; none was fatal.

That part of the highway is an area the Ohio Department of Transportation is monitoring because of the crash rate over the past few years, said spokeswoman Nancy Burton.

Several improvements are being made, including adding reflective markings on the barrier wall, making pavement corrections as drivers approach the bridge, painting pavement lines and adding pavement reflectors.

A wall that was damaged and replaced with a guardrail will be permanently repaired.

ODOT is also working with law enforcement to make sure that drivers observe the posted speed limit of 55 mph. Ice, snow and rain can quickly make the road unsafe to drive above that limit, Burton said.